


Dumbass.

by AshleyJinxxBiersack



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: AU, Carl is cute, Fluff, High School, Lori and Shane are briefly there, M/M, Marriage, Prom, Rick and Daryl are married, Rickyl, Weddings, and adopted, aw, but he doesn't care because his dad's are cute, cute stuff, no zombies, they're both dumbasses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 10:35:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6654574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshleyJinxxBiersack/pseuds/AshleyJinxxBiersack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl was being a dumbass. It would usually take a lot to freak Daryl Dixon out like this, but this time around, he’d gone from cool and collected to a rambling mess in less than five minutes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dumbass.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've ever written a Rickyl I've deemed worthy enough to post. When I first start writing for a fandom, I'll write a story or two I dub "the splurge fics" which are fics I use to get rid of all my bad writing and will never let see the light of day. I have multiple of those in this fandom so this is the first official Walking Dead fic I have written and posted. Please go easy on me and don't forget to leave comments and kudos! <3

Daryl was being a dumbass.

It would usually take a lot to freak Daryl Dixon out like this, but this time around, he’d gone from cool and collected to a rambling mess in less than five minutes.

Senior Prom was the biggest event of the year and Daryl hadn’t really planned on going. Having finally turned eighteen, though not legal by the laws of the States to be drinking, Merle had promised to take him out for a few drinks in a bar he knew didn’t bother checking ID for anyone who looked at least eighteen. Daryl was blessed with rugged looks by the age of twelve.

Daryl hadn’t planned on going to the prom because he couldn’t be bothered to worry about the faff and fuss of having to dress up and play nice with the people he’d literally despised for the majority of his high-school days. The preps, the jocks, the weird kids, the nerds and the stoners. Daryl was just a kid who kept himself to himself and wasn’t a part of any social group. The closest Daryl had to a friend was the younger brother of a friend of Merle’s.

He spoke to other people, sure, but mostly because he had to and wanted to try and avoid as many fights as possible, which in retrospect was the total opposite of his brother. Merle had been known for fighting at any opportunity, which is why staff and students alike were surprised when the younger Dixon kept quiet and avoided confrontation unless absolutely necessary.

That’s why it was a surprise when people started seeing Daryl quite often talking to, and even laughing with Rick Grimes. Rick was the typical high-school good guy; loved by everyone and doted on by all the girls in his classes. Hell, even some of the _boys_ wanted a piece of him. His thick brown curls fit surprisingly well to a guy of his build and his eyes were the softest blue Daryl had ever seen. He would deny to his last breath that he often got lost in them while they talked. Rick was the epitome of gorgeous, and it always surprised Daryl that he wasn’t in a steady relationship with a nice guy or girl. He could easily have that, but as he’d often laughed and spoken about to Daryl, he’d _rather wait until after high-school for that kind of crap._

Rick and Daryl were the polar opposites and everyone could swear Rick was crushing on the head of the Cheerleading team, which is why it came as the biggest shock of the year when Rick asked Daryl to go to the prom with him instead of Lori.

“Hey, Daryl, hold up a sec!”

Daryl turned around, smiling to himself when Rick was jogging through the hall to catch him.

“I’m gonna be late, Grimes. Better make it quick,” Daryl told him. Rick rolled his eyes.

“That’s fine, this will be fast, I promise. Just need to ask you something, that’s all,” Rick said.

Daryl shrugged. “Sure, what’s up?”

“Well, you know prom’s coming up,” Rick began.

“What, you want my blessing to go find someone to get laid with already?” Daryl snickered. Rick rolled his eyes again.

“Just listen to me for a sec, would ya?” Rick said.

“Yeah, alright,” Daryl chuckled, waving his hand and pulling his bag further onto his shoulder.

“Anyway,” Rick continued, “prom is coming up and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me.”

Everything seemed to fall tensely silent; even the ever-chatty cheerleading squad had fallen victim to the stillness.

“I’m sorry what?” Daryl asked. Rick smiled, a small little smile that Daryl swore didn’t make his stomach twist.

“I’m asking you to come to the prom with me, idiot,” Rick said.

“Sure,” Daryl said, cracking a smile. Rick’s smile melted into a grin. “Yeah, it’ll be fun.”

“Great,” Rick said. “I’ll text you sometime so we can talk about the details.”

Lori looked outraged; the whole squad had been talking about how Rick was sure to ask her because she had, after all, just been voted prettiest girl in Senior year. When she and Shane Walsh shared a look or two, Lori immediately forgot how much she’d wanted Rick, but Rick and Daryl were the gossip of the school for the whole week, and sometime after that, too.

Daryl had given looks of silent question to Rick as the elder walked away. Rick had just smiled and waved, dashing off to his last class. Daryl never did get the answer to his question.

These occurrences, paired up with everything that had happened in the weeks following had been what lead Daryl to be a rambling mess to his older brother as he kept stopping in front of the mirror, only to start pacing again minutes later.

“Yer bein’ a dumbass, Darleen,” Merle snorted, drinking back a mouthful of beer. “Don’t know why you’re frettin’ anyway, since you happen t’ be the one sayin’ a few months back that ya ain’t gonna go to this stupid prom ‘cause ya wanna go drinkin’ with your bro!”

“You ain’t helpin’, Merle,” Daryl grumbled, stopping in front of the old broken mirror and fixing his tie for what must’ve been the seventeenth time in twenty-seven minutes. “I wasn’t gonna go, but it’s Rick.”

“Is this your way of tellin’ me you gone n’ got a crush on this Rick kid, little brother?” Merle asked, sitting forward in his old chair and resting his elbows on his knees. Daryl rolled his eyes.

“Ain’t no crush, man,” Daryl said, shaking his head. He glanced at himself again, fixing a strand of his messy yet still rather well-tamed hair. He’d even gone the extra mile and washed it thoroughly just so Rick wouldn’t have to deal with being seen with a boy with hair greasier than a deep fat fryer.

“Whatever,” Merle snorted, getting up long enough to grab another beer before returning to his seat. Daryl kept on pacing, glancing at the clock now along with looking in the mirror. Rick would be picking him up in less than ten minutes and Daryl was still nervous. Why was he nervous? It was just Rick, the same Rick he’d spent the better part of the last two years getting to know. Hell, he could even say they’d come as far as being friends now.

Daryl stopped in front of the mirror to fuss with his waist coat again and Merle made a sound of irritation, sitting forward again.

“Damn it, Daryl, ya look _fine_. Quit fussin’, would ya? Yer givin’ me the jitters n’ it ain’t even my prom!” he said. Daryl raised a brow, making Merle roll his eyes. “Shut up.”

The old step on the porch creaked at exactly three minutes to seven, making Daryl tense up as Merle got up to answer the door, having realised there was no chance Daryl was going to make a move.

“Pussy,” the elder snorted, unbolting the door and pulling it open with a smirk on his face.

“Uh, hi. I’m Rick Grimes.”

“Yer the kid takin’ my bro to the prom, huh?” Merle mused, eyes roaming the kid in front of him. He seemed to well-spoken to even _talk_ to Daryl in Merle’s mind, but that didn’t stop the slight nod of approval in his brother’s direction as he called to him. “Hey Darleen! Yer date’s here!”

“Fuck off, Merle,” Daryl grumbled as he approached the door. He looked at Rick, their eyes met, and Daryl smiled.

“You look good,” Daryl said.

“Thanks. You do too,” Rick responded. “You clean up nice.”

Merle snorted. Daryl punched him. Merle walked away with a smile tugging at his lips.

“You, uh, ready to go?” Daryl asked.

“Sure. Ready when you are,” Rick said. Daryl nodded, grabbing his jacket and his key.

“Don’t wait up!” he called back to Merle. He didn’t stick around to hear the response, instead slipping his arms into his jacket and his key into his pocket.

“Your brother looked like he wanted to eat me or something,” Rick said as they got into his car. Daryl barked out a laugh, blushing faintly. Rick was smiling at him.

“Merle? Nah, he’s harmless,” Daryl said. “Just likes to pretend he could hurt you.”

“If you say so,” Rick chuckled. “He always call you Darleen?”

“Only when he thinks I’m fussin’ too much,” Daryl admitted. Rick didn’t say anything more.

To Daryl’s disbelief, he ended up enjoying the night more than he thought he would have. Someone had spiked the punch so students and teachers alike were getting drunker and drunker as the night went on. After discovering this had happened, Rick stuck to the one glass of punch because he was driving that night and didn’t want to risk crashing his new car because he’d been driving intoxicated. Daryl had a few, enough to feel a buzz, but not enough to get drunk along with his classmates.

Somewhere into the night, Daryl snuck outside for a smoke and Rick ended up following, wanting to get away from the questions and concerns from the rest of the group. Everyone was still asking why he’d asked Daryl over Lori but Rick never gave a direct answer. He didn’t feel the need to explain himself.

The stupid polls that had been set up online had been counted up and the results had been written down, and the yearbooks had been prepared for handing out at the end of the night. Prettiest girl was Lori, most handsome boy was Shane. Biggest male gossip had been Abraham Ford and the toughest girl in the after school kickboxing classes had been Tara. Prom Queen, as expected, had been Lori and Rick was right beside her as Prom King, but Rick had refused a dance with her, instead taking Daryl by the hand and taking him through the back hall so they could go up to the roof to watch the stars begin to come out in the mid-summer night.

Side by side in the cooling air, Daryl and Rick watched the night go on as the people below them continued to enjoy their night. Daryl liked Rick’s company, and Rick in turn was very fond of Daryl’s. They didn’t speak, not really. They didn’t feel the need to. Their silence was mutual and comfortable and Daryl liked having that with someone, a mutual silence that wasn’t awkward.

“Can I ask you somethin’?” Daryl finally asked.

“You just did,” Rick teased. Daryl flipped him off and Rick laughed. “Alright, shoot.”

“Why’d you ask me?” the younger asked. Rick looked at him.

“Care to elaborate?” he asked. Daryl rolled his eyes.

“The prom. Why’d you ask me to come to prom?” he asked. Rick smiled, the smallest, shyest smile Daryl had ever seen on Rick.

“I asked you because I wanted to,” Rick told him. “Everyone expected me to ask Lori but I just… I’m not fond of her, not like I am of you. You’re a good guy and I like spending time with you.”

“You’re soundin’ more like a chick by the second, ‘m sorry I asked,” Daryl chuckled. Rick rolled his eyes, shoving Daryl playfully.

“Shut up, man,” he said. “I like you, Daryl, and I wanted to enjoy tonight with someone I like, not with someone I don’t.”

“Good to know,” Daryl said, letting his hands move from behind him to allow him to lay down, head pillowed on his jacket. Rick followed, head resting on his arm as he looked at Daryl. Rick’s free hand slowly slid closer to Daryl, his eyes watching for a reaction when their fingers brushed. Daryl just looked at him, barely flinching, and a small smile washed over his lips as their hands fell together perfectly.

“You were worried about tonight, weren’t you?” Rick asked.

Daryl snorted, “’course not!”

“Liar,” Rick laughed.

“Whatever,” Daryl muttered.

“Dumbass,” Rick said fondly.

That was then.

Now, seventeen years later, the dumbass torch has passed down to Rick.

Rick couldn’t believe he’d let himself worry so much as to drop him into a state of almost full-blown panic. Christ, not even his Grandmother had fussed this much! If Rick was like this, the man didn’t want to imagine how Daryl was doing.

“Rick, honey, you need to calm down,” his mother soothed, gently touching his face. Rick sighed quietly. “Honestly, you’re making a huge fuss over nothing.”

“Mom, I’m making a fuss over the biggest damn day of my life next to adopting Carl,” Rick responded. “I’m getting married, mom. You know how important this is?”

“I know it is,” she said. “I married your father but I still didn’t make this much of a fuss.”

“Thanks, mom, great pep talk,” Rick chuckled, smiling gently.

Daryl and Rick had been together since that night of their senior prom, and they’d been inseparable. Sure, there’d been fights and near break-ups and plenty of make-up sex that neither ever complained about, but they’d survived through it all together. It was their fifteen-year anniversary when Rick proposed, and sixteen when they’d finalised the adoption of a wonderful seven-year-old boy who they legally renamed Carl. There was even small talk of adopting a girl, too.

Rick couldn’t remember ever feeling this nervous for anything. He hadn’t even been this bad on prom night when he’d been stood on the porch facing Merle Dixon, waiting for Daryl to show up.

Rick and his mother jumped when the door knocked, but Merle was quick to poke his head in and tell them to man up. Merle was as rough around the edges now as he had been all those years ago, but he was a good guy, and he’d supported Daryl through everything, even going as far as to give Rick a piece of his mind during one of their worse fights after Daryl had shown up on the step of his old home with a weekend bag on his shoulder and the keys to his bike in his hand.

“You ready Richelle?” the older Dixon commented. Rick rolled his eyes. “Darleen’s waitin’ on ya.”

“I’m nearly done, just give me a minute,” Rick responded. Merle snorted.

“I swear, ‘tween you n’ Daryl,” he huffed, shaking his head and slipping out of the room again.

“Are you ready, sweetheart?” Linda asked, tucking a strand of her son’s hair back down with the rest of it. It had taken a lot of work to tame his curls for this, and even then it still wasn’t perfect, but Rick knew Daryl wouldn’t mind. They’d only mess it up when they got to the hotel, anyway.

With a deep breath and a last once-over to check he was presentable, Rick nodded. “Let’s do this.”

Rick liked a lot of country music, so somehow upon choosing the music they’d have played during the ceremony, he’d convinced Daryl to let him have a country song while he walked the isle, and Daryl had an old rock song while he’d done the same. Daryl was already waiting at the alter and Rick could feel his palms sweating. Linking arms with his mother, he sucked in a breath and started to move his feet. His body was pretty much on auto-pilot as he looked at Daryl, watching Merle nudge him to make him turn around. A smile crossed Daryl’s lips and Rick felt his heart sore. Daryl’s smile had never changed, even when the rest of him had matured and changed. Rick loved the bones of him and _holy shit they were getting married._

“Officer Grimes,” Daryl commented quietly, hand brushing Rick’s as his mother placed a kiss on his cheek and went to sit down in her seat. Rick’s parents had been wonderful to Daryl, and they’d adored him almost immediately. His father was always happy to deal with Daryl’s bad mouth and his mother always made sure he’d eaten enough to last a whole week before letting him leave their home.

“You look amazing,” Rick said quietly. Daryl smiled, head ducking down as a flush crossed his cheeks.

“Dearly beloveds, we are gathered here on this beautiful morning to witness the marriage of Rick Grimes, and his partner Daryl Dixon…”

Nothing sunk into Rick’s head after that introduction. Rick was getting married. _Married._ And it was to Daryl Dixon, the most unexpected thing to ever happen to him. When they’d unintentionally crossed paths all those years ago, Rick hadn’t expected it to lead to Daryl being one of the most important people in his life. He loved Daryl with every fibre of his being, and sure, you didn’t need marriage to prove your love for someone, but Rick had wanted to get married since he saw it happen in a movie when he was a kid. He’d always wanted to get married, and he’d found the perfect man to be married to.

Rick was so tuned out that he missed the que to give the vows he’d written, an embarrassed blush rising on his cheeks when Daryl finally got his attention with a slight cock of his head and a confused look on his face. Daryl was adorable with that expression but now was really not the time.

“I, uh, guess I’m more nervous than I thought,” Rick commented quietly. Daryl bit his lip to fight a smile. “I didn’t think I’d ever have someone like you in my life. I thought I’d go through the motions of school, college, job, wife, kids, then the rest of my life. And then I met you, Daryl. You changed that for me. Sure, I still had all those motions, but they became worth it. I finished school, went to college, got a job, but I did better than I would’ve done if I hadn’t met you. I did better because I want nothing but the best for the both of us. I want us to have a good life together and so far I believe we’re doing a pretty good job, right?” He paused, smiling and glancing at his son. “When we adopted Carl, I didn’t think things could get any better than that. Sure, we missed the beginning of his life, but we’ve certainly made up for that in these past couple of years. And then I proposed to you and you said yes. Things got better when I thought they couldn’t possibly be any better than they already were, and now here I am, stood here marrying the most incredible man I could ever have in my life. You’ve been a blessing, Daryl, and I love you. I love you, and I promise to cherish everything about you and what makes you who you are for the rest of my life, even your redneck of a brother.”

The guests chuckled. Merle snorted. Daryl teared up. Rick smiled.

“I, uh, ain’t got nothin’ near as good as that,” Daryl said unsurely, clearing his throat. “Just a promise that I’m gonna stick by you through everythin’, like I always said I will. I’ll take care’a you, just like I know you will me. I’ll always love you with everythin’ I am an’ I’ll never let you down for as long as I live.”

Short and sweet, but still hit Rick right in the heart all the same. The two shared a smile and exchanged rings, and the minute they were told they could kiss, Daryl’s lips were on Rick’s and Merle was cat-calling them. The kiss seemed to last a lifetime even though it was barely a minute. Both men were smiling brightly as they parted, huffing out quiet laughs and sharing longing gazes; the longing to be alone to spend the rest of their day and the night to follow sharing each other’s space as they always did, but now as a married couple. They wanted to be close and explore each other over and over like it was the first time all over again. They wanted to take Carl home and just spend time with him as a family, watching shitty cartoons and eating junk food. They would have that, and they could have that, and it’d be theirs for the taking for the rest of their lives.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Rick and Daryl Dixon-Grimes.”

“I like the sound of that,” Rick commented, fingers threading between Daryl’s.

“Me too,” he agreed.

There was confetti and rice everywhere upon getting outside, and Rick knew he’d be picking it out of his hair for days, but nothing could bring him down from the high he was feeling at that moment. Every little thing in his life had led to this moment, and he’d never be able to explain how grateful he was to have been led to this point. A good career, a wonderful son and now a loving husband, who’s eyes were enough to get him lost forever and who’s smile lit up his entire being. Rick really loved Daryl, and he’d never get tired of showing him.

The two of them slid into the car together, and Carl scrambled in after them, wanting to stay close to them regardless of his grandmother’s protest. Daryl just assured Linda that Carl was fine and would get to the reception in one piece. Carl happily wormed his way between his dads, smiling up at them both as he leant against Daryl and pulled Rick’s hand onto his lap to play with the new ring that sat on his finger. Rick and Daryl smiled, Rick’s free hand lacing over Carl’s knee with Daryl’s hand as they leant in and shared a kiss.

“Your hands are sweating,” Daryl commented.

“I was nervous, have been since I woke up this morning,” Rick responded. “I just wanted everything to be perfect.”

Daryl snorted. “It was more than perfect, Rick. You’re perfect.” Rick preened at the praise and reassuring tone.

“You guys are gross,” Carl commented, surprising a laugh from Daryl and a fond smile from Rick. Nine years old, and already giving as good as he gets.

“Yeah, we know,” Rick said, ruffling Carl’s hair up.

“Hey Rick,” Daryl commented. “You’re cute when you worry too much.”

“Whatever,” Rick huffed in response.

Daryl smiled fondly. “Dumbass.”


End file.
